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(AU Note: For maximum effect, listen to this )

“Another dead, so that gives us a total of 10 casualties.”

Erwin acknowledged simply by nodding at the soldier who then went back into the forest to pass on the retreat order. Walking to the end of the line of corpses, Erwin stopped at the last one and knelt down. He gingerly lifted the sheet covering the body and looked down at the bloody face of his squad member. His blue eyes gave away nothing as he stared at his deceased comrade but his jaw was set firm.

After a short while, he covered the body gently and stood up, taking in the sight around him. His gaze wandered to the horizon. It was a beautiful day – the sun was shining, birds chirped happily, the wind gently blew the grass in a wave-like motion. But within that same picturesque scene were dead bodies, some mangled in grotesque fashions. How could it be – he wondered – that such scenes could coexist with each other?

He was getting tired of everything; the Titans, the expeditions, the loss of yet another dear friend. His will was stronger than most, but even the strongest will had its breaking point. He could no longer envision the dream that he had about a world that was rid of Titans. As he pondered the decisions that he had made, he caught sight of an abandoned church sitting in plain sight just a few meters away from the tree line.

Although instinct told him not to approach the building, he found himself walking towards it, as if drawn by an invisible force. Yet, he had this inexplicable feeling that he need not fear for it would do him no harm.

As he drew closer, he studied the architecture of the church. The structure and material composition were of this era but the intricate carvings and arches seemed to belong to a different time. Erwin frowned, puzzled by its odd characteristics. Still, he didn’t turn back.

He stepped into the church. Strangely enough, the interior was left unscathed by the passage of time. There wasn’t a single speck of dust to be seen which made Erwin wonder whether there was someone who still kept the church in shape.

He walked down the aisle towards the altar, his footsteps echoing through the empty building. As he got closer, he glimpsed a young lady with long flowing hair sitting on the floor with her back rested against the solid wood of the altar. Her eyes were closed and her pale body looked limp. She wore a white dress with large sleeves that covered her hands.

Once again, Erwin felt the powerful force drag him towards the lady. When he finally found himself kneeling down at eye level with her, she opened her eyes slowly as if she was waking from an eternal slumber. As she turned to face him, his heart pounded in his chest and the blood rushed to his face. Her ethereal beauty seemed to hypnotize him. He couldn’t budge as she lifted her hand and slowly rested it on his forehead.

The contact with her hand caused his body to jolt and suddenly, the world around him opened up into a black hole. He opened his mouth to scream but found himself immobilized. As he fell into the abyss, he squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the end to come.

But a short moment later, the pressuring darkness suddenly lifted and he felt light shining upon his face. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, unable to believe the sight that beheld him.

In the distance, he could see tall buildings that were made of metal and glass. Surrounding him were trees that grew at a fixed distance apart and a large fountain stood in the clearing, right in front of him. Children were laughing and playing, watched over by their parents who sat on benches.

He looked down at his clothes to see that it had been changed to a simple shirt and slacks. Turning to his left, he saw the same lady sitting beside him, a small smile adorning her pristine features.

“Where are we?” Erwin asked.

The lady stood up and offered her hand to Erwin, in lieu of an answer. Still under her hypnotic charm, Erwin took her hand and followed her through the beautiful landscape. They reached the edge of the scenic nature and as if divided by a line, the view changed to that of a bustling city. Objects zoomed by and he stepped back in fear. But the lady led him forward and amazingly, those moving things paused, waiting for them to cross the road. As he scrutinized the object closely, he realized that there were people in it. Amazed by his discovery, he surmised that these moving parts probably worked the same way as carriages; only faster. Much faster.

They entered one of the magnificent buildings and Erwin’s eyes darted around, looking at the multitude of shops and the wares that they sold. The aroma of food wafted over him and he could only imagine what kinds of delicacies they were. Soon, he found himself in a small room with only one entrance. The doors closed automatically by sliding shut and he suddenly felt his weight pressed to the floor. He turned to the lady, his eyebrows knit in puzzlement. She smiled reassuringly and pointed a dainty finger upwards. It took him a while to realize that they were being brought up in this strange room, in the same fashion as how their pulleys lifted horses up onto the walls.

Finally, their ascent came to a halt and a soft ping was heard followed by the opening of the doors. The lady led him out and when his eyes adjusted to the natural light of the sun, he gasped in awe. They were on the roof top of the highest building and the sight was magnificent.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The land was vast and seemed to go on without end. There were no walls to block his line of sight. This was what he had dreamed of for years. It was what all his comrades dreamt of. Freedom. Unlike the people in his era who lived with the fear of a Titan invasion over their heads, these people didn’t live in a box of safety. They were free to roam the far ends of the earth, free to lift their heads up high and not be faced with extinction.

“Is this the future?” Erwin asked the mysterious lady.

She nodded slowly.

He gave a low chuckle. “If so, then all of us would not have died in vain.”

Turning to her, he said, “I don’t know who you are or what intentions you harbor…. But still I must thank you for showing me this future.”

The lady’s expression remained the same, with a small upturn of her lips that bordered between a smile and a straight face. Erwin found her incredibly hard to read but then again, she was probably a being that was as mystical as this experience. Whatever her motive for bringing him here, he was sure that she had no malicious intent. That much he could be certain of.

Smiling graciously at her, Erwin continued, “You have given me faith that what we’ve been doing all this while has not been wasted. And most of all, you rekindled my dream and thus, the strength to carry on.”

The lady nodded in assent and her eyes sparkled with some hidden knowledge. Erwin couldn’t help but feel the urge to find out more about this new world… and about her.

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude towards you. May I at least know your name?” Erwin extended his hand towards her.

“I’m (F/N),” she smiled and grasped his hand.

In that moment, everything around them disappeared and Erwin found himself falling into the abyss once again. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the church. He whipped around but (F/N) was nowhere in sight.

“Erwin, are you there?” He heard his comrade yell.

“Yes, I’m here,” he replied as he stepped out of the church.

Turning back, he cast one last lingering look at the place where he had such a magical encounter with a beautiful woman.

A woman whose voice he would never forget as she had spoken those two words that imparted her name which would forever remain engraved in his heart.